The present invention relates to a musical drum and more particularly to a drum head tensioning device for adjusting the tension of the bottom drum head.
A musical instrument drum includes a body, typically in the form of a cylinder, with bottom and top openings. The bottom and top openings are covered by respective drum heads for defining a resonant cavity inside the body. Each drum head includes a vibratory membrane which is stretched across the respective opening and includes a tightening hoop which surrounds the outer periphery of the opening and bears on an overhanging portion of the membrane as to secure the membrane over the opening and to increase the tension in the membrane as the tightening hoop is urged toward the body of the drum.
In known drums of this type, a series of upper and lower tightening bolts or screws are provided around the body of the drum for connecting the respective upper and lower tightening hoops to the drum body and for adjusting the tension of the respective membranes by adjusting the pressure of the tightening hoops on the membranes.
The sound produced by a drum is affected by the interaction of the vibrations from the bottom and top drum head membranes. Accordingly, it is often necessary to adjust the tension in the bottom and top drum heads by tightening or loosening their respective upper and lower bolts. This tension adjustment procedure can be cumbersome and time consuming. This is a result of the necessity to strike the top membrane and to repeatedly adjust the tension in the bottom and top drum head membranes until a satisfactory sound is produced. The inconvenience of having to reach to the lower bolts at the bottom of the mounted drum is apparent.